I was walking today outside Comic-Con 2024 when I noticed an artist hanging out with some of his artwork near the San Diego Convention Center. His name is Phil, he’s a local, and his great digital art is in the anime style.
Umbridled Ambition is the name he uses to showcase and sell his art, as you can see from his Instagram page here.
Phil was sketching out another piece on his tablet as Comic-Con goers streamed past. When I paused by his table to look at his digital art, he graciously allowed me to take these photos!
Check it out!
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Even those who’ve never played the video game Genshin Impact will probably enjoy a great, free exhibit now showing during San Diego Comic-Con 2024. You can find it in the gallery across L Street from the Omni Hotel.
Teyvat Fashion Show Genshin Impact Fan Art Convention is the full name of the exhibition, and should you walk through the door you’ll be wowed at the really great anime-style artwork. There’s art from the video game and lots and lots of fan art. The submitted fan art is so good it appears to have been created professionally! While there’s an emphasis on fashion, the art depicts many aspects of the game.
In addition to all the art, there’s Genshin Impact merch, many photo ops, and a cool video backdrop with a treadmill that allows you to take a video of yourself walking slowly through the fantasy world of Teyvat! How cool is that?
The exhibit opens at 9:30 am each day through Sunday. I was told that some of the first fans through the door get free swag!
These photos are a tiny sample of what you’ll encounter…
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
A comic art Mini Con will be coming to San Diego on August 24th, 2024. The free event will be held at Southern California Comics at 8280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., #124, from 11 am to 5 pm.
Featured artists will be Jevin Loop, Kevin Tran, Phillip Quick, Action Figure God and Zander6comix. This morning at San Diego Comic-Con, Zander himself told me about this cool local comic event. We’ve met on a couple of occasions in the past while I’ve blogged about events around San Diego.
Come support great comic talent and have a fun time. Burgers and Fries will be on hand, too!
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
An iconic prop: the famous phaser used by William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek television show.
A very special exhibit is on display during San Diego Comic-Con week. You’ll find it at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park. Famous one-of-a-kind movie and television props, original artwork and collectibles can be viewed before they are auctioned off this coming Sunday, July 28, 2024!
Comic-Con Museum Presents: TCM | Julien’s Auctions 2024 Spotlight Series: Harry Potter and Other Heroes will excite fans of the Harry Potter movies, Batman movies, and X-Men movies. In addition, two historic, one-of-a-kind objects in the museum gallery will delight those who love the original Star Trek television series!
Visitors to the museum will see a whole roomful of props and artwork, all of which could belong to you at the end of this week! (The auction of the Star Trek props, including William Shatner’s phaser and communicator, will be held separately later this year.)
To learn more, check out the Comic-Con Museum’s website by clicking here! It explains: Highlights of the auction include an array of iconic costumes, production material, and beyond from various productions of the Harry Potter film franchise; Marvel’s greatest superheroes and their most high-octane pieces will hit the auction block featuring original storyboard illustrations by storyboard artist Gabriel Hardman from the X-Men blockbuster X2; and from DC Comics’ Batman Begins, items wielded by Christian Bale, such as a stunt grapple gun prop and batarang prop. Plus, Other Surprises Crash the Party!
I took a few photos of the exhibit for you to enjoy. Head up to Balboa Park and see everything for yourself before the online auction in the museum’s auditorium on Sunday!
The Comic-Con Museum in San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park.An original Hogwarts invitation envelope from the production of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.An original knight’s head prop from the production of the chess game scene in the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.Marker ink on card drawing on Batman by artist Bob Kane, the character’s co-creator. The Superman drawing is signed by co-creator Joe Shuster.An original grapple gun prop used by Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Christopher Nolan film Batman Begins.Original production storyboard from X2: X-Men United, by artist Gabriel Hardman.
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
What the heck is that green thing? It’s part of another fun, surprising offsite being created outside the San Diego Convention Center before Comic-Con 2024!
What I love about walking around before Comic-Con is the mushrooming creativity. Sure, the offsite activations, building and trolley wraps, and carnival rides are all about marketing movies, television shows, video games and whatnot–but it is creativity that brings delight to the buying public. Art and storytelling are an essential part of it all.
So it’s now Sunday afternoon before Comic-Con 2024. Several days to go before the pop culture convention officially opens. I’ve already posted lots of photos the past few days. But more stuff keeps materializing!
Local artist Shirish Villaseñor has begun painting the windows of the Starbucks at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. It’s a SpongeBob SquarePants theme celebrating the cartoon’s 25th anniversary! (She has some big community mural projects coming up in San Diego which I hope to cover in the next couple months.)The smile of a friendly artist!The FX offsite and building wrap are getting ready. Like most Comic-Con offsites, it opens on Thursday.Hulu’s Animayhem has returned in 2024. They’ll have a huge offsite behind the convention center.I’m pretty sure you can’t slide inside this huge green pipe.Some sort of fun factory.A big swing ride at the A.V.A. FEST. Woo-hoo!That cool Star Trek wrap is now 100% complete on the Marriott Marquis.Crates have arrived for the Dragon Ball offsite. It’s going to be awesome as usual!A big Dragon Ball wrap is being placed on part of the Marriott Marquis.The second side of a trolley wrap design that I hadn’t been able to photograph earlier. The Boys.The big, fun Marvel Contest of Champions Ferris wheel under construction along MLK Promenade.More spooky Immortal Universe graphics placed on the Hilton Gaslamp.A wider look.My goodness! Wrapping the large Hard Rock Hotel all around with SpongeBob graphics takes many days of work.The Lodge by Paramount+ is starting to look like a lodge.The transforming power of human creativity.
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
The Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster.
A terrifying group of classic movie monsters has appeared outside the San Diego Convention Center for Comic-Con 2024!
Check out today’s photos!
These characters from classic horror films are all considered Universal Monsters–they appeared in Universal Pictures movies from the 1930s to 1950s (if you include Abbott and Costello comedies).
I remember as a kid watching these dark, atmospheric movies for the suspense, chills and occasional thrills. I’m afraid the old Universal classics appear pretty tame by today’s ultra-realistic, slashing, bloody standards.
The Universal Monsters have been painted for fans of Comic-Con, and you can see the artwork on the windows of Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt, located at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The artist responsible is Shirish Villaseñor. (By the way, she’s one of the local artists renovating many of the historic murals in world-famous Chicano Park!)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.The Invisible Man and the Werewolf.Dracula.The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
UPDATE!
Shirish has been adding color to her images as we approach the start of Comic-Con…
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
A Comic-Con offsite in downtown San Diego has opened early! The Chuck Jones Pop-Up Gallery is already welcoming pop culture fans a week and a half before Comic-Con 2024 begins!
The Chuck Jones Gallery’s pop-up is always a big attraction during San Diego Comic-Con. You might recall that it has usually been found in the Gaslamp Quarter. But not in 2024!
This year’s location is inside Seaport Village, a short walk up the bayside boardwalk behind the San Diego Convention Center, five minutes past the Marriott Marquis, a few steps from the Seaport Village lighthouse.
I was told that before Comic-Con begins, they will be open seven days a week during ordinary business hours.
During my visit today, I saw lots of Looney Tunes and related artwork, produced by well-known artists including the legendary Chuck Jones. The walls are covered with cool collectibles, from affordable prints to original animation cells. If you love Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote, Taz, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian and the rest of the wacky crew, this is the place for you!
There’s also great DC and Marvel artwork by notable artists, including fan favorite Alex Ross.
In addition, during Comic-Con 2024, fans will have a chance to meet artists at the Chuck Jones Pop-Up Gallery. Here’s the lineup from their website:
Thursday, July 25
Meet & Greet with Chuck Jones artist, Ben Olson live from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Friday, July 26
Meet & Greet Simpsons artist, Stephen Reis from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 27
Meet & Greet with artist, Fabio Napoleoni from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sunday, July 28
Meet & Greet with artist, Dan Bowden from 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Sounds pretty cool? It definitely is! Take a look at a few examples of the artwork on view and for sale in the Chuck Jones Pop-Up Gallery…
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Dungeons and Dragons mural painted outside Super7, days before San Diego Comic-Con 2024.
With about a week and a half to go until the start of Comic-Con 2024, more and more signs are appearing around San Diego that anticipate the epic international pop culture convention!
I took these photographs this morning during a walk in downtown San Diego–through the Gaslamp Quarter, East Village and Seaport Village.
The Chuck Jones Gallery will have a pop-up in Seaport Village during Comic-Con 2024.A sneaky peek through the window of the Chuck Jones Gallery pop-up in Seaport Village.One of several cool posters inside the Gaslamp Lumpia Factory in San Diego. Offsite events will be held here during Comic-Con 2024.Deadpool holds a Comic-Con Pronto card on the big outdoor MTS video board, across from the San Diego Convention Center.Ad outside American Comedy Co. promotes Doug Loves Movies Comic-Con Edition.Marvel superheroes in the window of CVS in the Gaslamp Quarter.Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp will be filled with fans and cosplayers during Comic-Con.The Onyx Nightclub will have a load of fun waiting during Comic-Con weekend!
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Ready to have your mind blown? Take a look at these photographs!
This lowrider is named Timeless. It was on display today in San Diego during the Day at the Bay 2024 car show.
I saw dozens of amazing cars as I walked about the show, but I had to stop in my tracks when I spotted Timeless. It’s beyond incredible!
According to one sign, Timeless is an original lowrider first built in the 1970s whose multiple modifications and endless paint jobs have kept it relevant for more than 40 years. This work of art, with a local and national reputation, is said to be the most iconic lowrider in San Diego. It was built from a 1964 Riviera.
Timeless is a fantastic dream come true.
Look at the crazy interior! How would you like to take a ride in this?
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
A huge event showcasing lowriders, classic cars, bikes and tattoo artists could be enjoyed today at Day At The Bay 2024!
Hundreds of cars were out on display at Embarcadero Marina Park North on San Diego Bay. Late this morning I walked around admiring these vehicles, which are true works of art. You could see how local car enthusiasts have gone all out to make their ride absolutely amazing.
Let me share this collection of cool photographs!
…
Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 